Londyn LaRose Mission: And so it begins

Wow.

What a crazy week and a half! I was going to write an email last Wednesday because those are my p-days (preparation days - aka my free days) but I figured that since it had only been 3 days into my mission, I would wait until this week to write it. Also this was supposed to be sent on this Wednesday, but I forgot to send it haha so Saturday night it is.

Forewarning this is probably going to be a massive email because a lot has happened and a lot needs to be explained. I promise future ones won't be quite as long. Bare with me haha.

To preface, I am not going to be in Slovenia for a while. I am in what they call the MTC (missionary training center) where I will learn how to speak Slovene, improve my social skills, build my knowledge of Jesus Christ, practice teaching, and more. I will be in the MTC for a total of 9 weeks with 2 weeks on zoom and the other 7 in person at the Provo, Utah MTC. I leave for in person MTC this Saturday!! So exciting!!! I leave for Slovenia on March 22nd! I already have a countdown haha.

Sunday 1/16:

I gave my farewell talk in church! Thank you to everyone that joined via zoom or in person. It was wonderful to see all of the support from my friends and family. If you missed it, you can send me an email and I will give you a quick rundown of what I said. After talking, we had an open house with Slovene food! A good amount of people came so thank you again to those who came. Later on that night I went and got set apart (kind of like the moment when a superhero gets their powers haha - it was the moment where I became a full missionary and got my name tag - now I am official). That was such a cool experience my parents and grandparents were able to be there in person with my brothers, sister-in-laws, and nephew on zoom.

My fam over zoom for my setting apart

Monday-Tuesday (except Wednesday) 1/17-1/25 :

The first day of MTC was Monday!!

At home MTC!

Every day I usually have classes from 10:30-1:30 pm, sometimes 2-3 pm, and 8-11 pm. My schedule differs depending on the day and what other activities we have signed up for. I know this sounds crazy to have class until 11 pm but it's only because of the timezone difference (Connecticut is two hours ahead of Utah). Also on Monday, I met my companion (as a missionary, you always have another missionary with you as an assigned buddy haha - it is kind of like a roommate but we go and do everything together), teachers, and district (the other missionaries who are going to the same exact area speaking the same language as you). Districts can differ in size especially depending on the area. You go to class with your district. My district is a little unique because my mission (The Adriatic North mission) has two different languages you can speak - Slovene or Croatian. In the Slovene district, it is just my companion and I hahaha. In the Croatian district, there are 3 other sisters and one brother. When we have class (besides the 2-3 one), it is just my companion and me with our teacher. Whenever we have bigger meetings like a meeting after a devotional to discuss what we have learned, we meet with the Croatian missionaries.

My district (combined with the Croatian missionaries and 2 teachers)

Before the MTC, I had already met my companion through emailing back and forth but I got to talk to and see her for the first time on Monday. She is the sweetest person ever. Her name is Sestra Voigt. She is from Munich, Germany, and speaks perfect English. I love her SO MUCH!!! She is amazing and has an amazing testimony of Jesus Christ. In many of my emails, I will refer to people as "Sestra ___", "Brat ___" or "Starešina ___". These are just the Slovene words for "Sister ___", "Brother ___" or "Elder ___". All of which are terms to address someone (similar to saying "Mr. ___" or "Mrs. ___". That is why I am called Sestra LaRose and not just Londyn LaRose. As far as teachers go, I have three! Sestra Kralj (she's actually FROM Slovenia which is super helpful with pronunciation and learning the language), Sestra Tuckett, and Brat Kunzler (both of them just got back from serving missions in Slovenia). I love them all SO MUCH and can't wait to see them in person. Before I served my mission, I met Sestra Tuckett and Sestra Kralj which was super cool. I saw Brat Kunzler but didn't have a full conversation with him.

My comp (Some people have said we look alike but idk)

In the 10:30-1:30 and 8-11 class, this is where we are taught a lot of different things, the logistics of being a missionary, how to teach better, how to study the scriptures, practice teaching, and overall just feel the spirit of the Holy Ghost and God's presence. Soooo cool!! One of my favorite things I learned the first week was the principle that we don't know everything and that is okay. As a missionary there is a lot of pressure to be perfect, know everything you're supposed to, and know what to say at all times. It is important to remember that we are not perfect, and God doesn't expect us to be. He just wants to see that we are trying.

The classes from 2-3 are called workshops and these are so cool. Everyone that entered the MTC on the exact same day as I were all of this call. Guess how many people there were. 271!!!! That is crazy!! It was such a cool experience to see so many people that were also called to serve. The coolest part about it was I was able to see three of my roommates from college in the fall. Natalie Chaggares is going to Dnipro, Ukraine; Hannah Johnston is going to Tempe, Arizona; and Rachel Gill is going to Rhome, Italy. I took a stalker picture of each of them and then sent it to our group chat hahaha. Every day but Saturday we had one of these workshops.

1st workout yoga session w/ Mom

Wednesday 1/19:

My p-day!!! In the MTC on p-days, you still have your evening class or other scheduled events. I had a workshop from 2-3, language tutoring from 5-5:30, and then class from 8-11. Other than that I hung out with my dad in the morning. We went into New Haven and got lunch chart food on Yale Campus. We went back to his work and ate there. We tried to see if we could get into the Beinecke Rare Book Library to see an original copy of the Book of Mormon (there are only 5 on the Earth!). Sadly it didn't work out. Later on my parents and I also went to a wrestling tournament to watch one of my friends in my ward go against my old high school team. That was cool to see some of my high school friends.

Lunch with Dad

Wednesday 1/26:

Today we plan on going to a reflexology appointment (like a massage but it hurts hahaha - it targets specific areas where you are hurting - def recommend unless you have a low pain tolerance).

RANDOM OVERALL HIGHLIGHTS:

- My mom and I spent over 30 minutes trying and failing to pop a helium balloon by standing on it. We did fall several times but had no major injuries.

The balloon

- My mom and I cuddled on the couch with the dog (not allowed!). I, unfortunately, am still allergic to my own dog so I did have a minorly major allergic reaction (poor Willow)